Dignity Denied
by Incomprehensible
Summary: A series of interconnected oneshots centering around the relationship between Sesshoumaru and Kagome. Unintelligible, incorrigible, and denied dignity. It could be... fun? :: She was red and green and lit up like a Christmas tree.
1. I

Characters and plot belong to their rightful owners.

**I.**

Damn that woman.

She was doing it again.

Taking away the things she "thought" he didn't need. She had only rejoined and converged her pack with his little over a month ago, and even with the ties to his royal person, should have absolutely _no _power over his person, his staff, and his guard service. First it had started out as simple, petty things – eating utensils, a few errant papers from the council room and his personal study, misplaced vases and braziers gone missing, but then it had escalated into something akin to that of a game. A game only she was willing to play.

The two-headed dragon, Ah-Un, had been gone when he had been scheduled to go patrolling, in their stead, stood a magnificent white stallion. As if the puny animal could handle the provisions needed for such a lengthy journey. Not to mention Rin, as well, who always insisted on going with him on patrols. Now, more so than ever, that _she _was here.

His own _ward_ had gone missing for a short streak little more than a fortnight ago. He was positive that there was some outside involvement in that case, though he had no concluding evidence to prove it.

Breezing through the shoji dividing doors elegantly, Sesshoumaru turned down the hall, intent on finding the witch. This time she had taken it too far.

Not once in the many days she had been a guest and resident of his castle had she thought to play her tricks on him, and for good reason, too. None of the items she deemed worthy to be stolen were directly related to him, or in his possession.

Ah-Un was a beast, and belonged more to Rin than to Sesshoumaru. Rin, herself, was a person of her own standing. Already, she was starting to grow up and branch off from him. Soon she would be her own person entirely. The papers were of paltry existence, and the inanimate objects were petty things he couldn't be bothered with, even on a good day.

It was probably a good thing she had strayed from disrupting his peace too much. Not even a fool would think to play any joke on the Great Lord And Taiyoukai Of The West (because he just liked to capitalize important things). Not even a fool would think to speak to him in any sort of vocal communications in any sort, shape or _form_ of humour. It was simply _out of the question_.

Yes, growing up he had been told he was a 'spoil sport' and 'ill humoured', and yes, he still was, but that did not excuse what had happened.

"Even in my own home." He grumbled under his breath, passing another vase emptied of flowers and other wildlife.

His papers he could have done without. Hell, he would have welcomed her to take them by placing a sign as big as Ah-Un by his desk with the word "TAKE" painted on it, but this was going too far.

What had she taken?

Probably the most important of his possessions, and the least recognized. And regarded. She had taken his entire collection of loincloths. He absolutely refused to go without undergarments.

Sucking a big breath of air into his lungs, Sesshoumaru roared out a single word, and all in the castle quaked, pitying the person his anger was directed at.

"_Mother!"_

_(The first in a series of interconnected one-shots. I was in the shower when this idea came around ("who would have thought Sesshoumaru couldn't stand not having underwear?"). Updates will come as they do. Oh, by the way, I'm Canadian, so the dictionary isn't American. I refuse. Title may change. - Incomprehensible)_


	2. II

Characters and plot belong to their rightful owners.

**II.**

She was walking again. He liked it when she walked. She did this thing when she did that showed off her toned calves and thighs. If he knew where to look (and he did), he could see the colour of the undergarments she had decided to wear that day.

He had discovered the handy little trick months before. Just a fleeting glance, really, when she had turned her back to him to run to Inuyasha's aid. It was completely innocent. Completely harmless. At first, at least. Often times he found himself trying to get behind her so he could steal a peek. It was interesting how often she changed her undergarments, and how many she had.

He had counted up to seven different pairs, already. That was a different set for every day in a week. He was still counting.

Ah, and there it was.

Deciding to come out of hiding, now that he was appeased, as some might put it, he sped up to stop a quarter mile away from the wayward group, quite in rage of the hanyou's senses. He hadn't needed to wait long, as soon the shout of "That bastard! Where is he?! I'll kill him!" reached his sensitive ears. Not but half a minute later, the red-clad figure bounded over the hill, sword drawn and eyes flashing between red and gold.

"What'd'yah want, you bastard?!" Inuyasha all but screamed.

"Red, Miko?" He asked, arching an eyebrow at the human from the future, ignoring his sibling and annoying him greatly.

She blinked at him owlishly, like she couldn't comprehend that he was speaking to her. Sesshoumaru frowned, his lips twitching downward in the tiniest of motions. Perhaps she was more stupid than he had initially thought. Ah, no, he corrected himself as understanding dawned on her expressive face.

He could almost taste her embarrassment.

Needless to say, Kagome was _very_ glad she had decided _not_ to wear her _Disney Princesses_ underwear.

_(Sesshoumaru? Perverted? Who would have thought? This kind of just popped up, but I'm pleased with the results. After writing one idea after another to sate my overactive muse – whom is never happy with the end result, might I add – came this little idea. Enjoy. – Incomprehensible)_


	3. III

Characters and plot belong to their rightful owners.

**III.**

Sesshoumaru Taishou, son of the infamous Inu-no-Taishou, Lord Of The Western Lands and Prince of Dogs, had lived for an impressive score of centuries, and an even more impressive number of decades. He had seen many things, fought many things, defied many things, and conquered many things. He rather liked to think of himself as knowledgeable and well-rounded in many areas, rather polished, to say.

What he had never experienced in his life, was having a young ward, 'nor a child, 'nor said child's incessant chattering or grounds for material wear, never mind their uncanny habit for getting into trouble. He, among his travels, had picked up such a nuisance, had grown somewhat... attached to his young ward over the years she had been by his side, but even his attachment would not stay his ire from slaughtering her in cold blood.

The child had an obsession.

It wasn't the measly kind of obsession that faded with time, or the kind of obsession that only held its roots for a period of time before vanishing altogether, no, it was the lasting, drive-your-friends-and-family-crazy kind of obsession that she had with flowers, silken kimonos and this _Make Believe _game, as she so called it. Often times he found himself the unwilling participant of one of her games, doomed to play the father while Jaken was the mother, and Ah-Un the two-headed dog.

It was enough to make his head hurt.

It, however, was easily ignored, and her antics even easier to brush off. The excuse of a demon lurking nearby had saved him from her childish ways one time too many for his own liking, and yet, this time he had somehow managed to be persuaded into being her living, breathing mannequin. How shameful.

If only his father could see him now.

The monkey-like child – Rin, he had to remind himself – had climbed into his lap and had since insisted upon decorating his hair and "prettying him up". The floral scent, as well as her own, unbathed one burned at his sensitive nostrils, and he fought down the urge to sneeze. He never had liked physical contact.

Or flowers, actually.

Rin sat back in his lap, eying her work appreciatively.

Suddenly, his senses picked up his half-brother's entourage headed his way, the hanyou at the lead. Sesshoumaru stood abruptly, being cautious to set Rin on the ground safely before rising to his full height and facing the oncoming group.

He grasped Toukijin's hilt just as Inuyasha bounded through the trees, coming to halt just barely fifty feet in front of him. Inuyasha looked around the camp before setting his eyes on his brother, and cracked up laughing.

"I always knew you were girly!" He exclaimed, doubling over.

Because there, in front of him, stood his brother in all his gloary, a chain of forget-me-nots strung around his head, and a big, red camelia tucked behind one ear.

_Well,_ Sesshoumaru thought as the rest of Inuyasha's group arrived. _It isn't quite father, but it's close enough...._

_(In case you didn't know, red camelias – in Japan – mean "in love" whereas forget-me-nots mean "gentle", "kind", or "true love", depending. No idea where it came from. I'm having fun stripping away Kagome and Sesshoumaru's dignity. Happy Halloween, guys. – Incomprehensible)_


	4. IV

Characters and plot belong to their rightful owners.

**IV.**

Rain dripped down her face, rolling between the slick folds, creases and narrow trenches of her skin. It waterfalled from her outstretched fingers, plummeted dangerously from the tip of her chin, and dammed from the corners of her squinted eyes.

The rising steam, where it hadn't been separated, divided and nullified by the rain, made her hair cling to her neck and shoulders while the upswept sections displayed the long, slender column of her throat and neck.

He had come to fetch water for the village, just another of their errand-boys, and had been forced to take a shortcut through the forest, near the hot springs, to access the river, but he had been entranced by the white-haired beauty on the way.

It was in this fleeting glimpse of the bathing maiden that Daichi felt he had found enlightenment. To see such a creature in such an intimate way, he must be very lucky, and have pleased the gods in some way.

Daichi smiled dreamily as the fair-headed woman showed her back to him, and he turned away, water forgotten.

_(Just to clear one thing up. This bathing female figure... it was Sesshoumaru whom our humbled errand-boy saw bathing in the hot springs. I really like the first two… stanzas (if you can call them that, 'cause they're not quite paragraphs). How was your Halloween, if you celebrated? I went as me. Very fun. – Incomprehensible)_


	5. V

Characters and plot belong to their rightful owners.

**V.**

Sesshoumaru's mother stood leaning against the opened shoji frame, staring at the falling snow.

If Sesshoumaru hadn't known better, he would have said she looked almost wistful. Vaguely reminiscent of times past and possibly a better life. It was a good thing he knew better. His mother was cold and vindictive, strong and perceptive, warm and hyper, among other things. She had had been called a lot of things in the past, but among them, nostalgic was not one of them.

And yet, there she stood, against the wooden frame, her blue, pink and black kimono offsetting the white background, a hand placed tenderly across her womb.

Sesshoumaru exhaled through his nose and went back to work.

Nostalgic, indeed.

_(It snowed today. Everything's covered in a thin film of white; it's nice. Just in case you haven't picked up on it, yet, _if_ there is a Sess/Kag relationship, it will be slow in coming. Until then, it's just character development on my part: getting a feel for the characters, setting boundaries, limitations, et cetera.... I'm doing it in turn. Sesshoumaru first, Kagome later, if at all. You should be pleased to know that the next one in coming is going to be quite a bit longer. -isgivinghimarespite- – Incomprehensible)_


	6. VI

Characters and plot belong to their rightful owners.

**VI.**

The brown, water-based lines swirled in uneven circles, doubling back to re-encounter themselves and darken in places they had already met. The pink and green swirled together to complete the picture: a cherry tree mid-blossom as a red and gold fire-breathing dragon stretched out across the length of the thin paper.

He could see two shadows kneeling behind it, the first holding a teacup to its blurred, black mouth, the cup becoming just a hazy circle as the light hit it.

"Poor Sesshoumaru." The second said, picking up its own teacup.

The first hummed, setting down the teacup in languid strokes of movement that caught his eye. "I remember when he was but a pup – chewing on his father's shoes. His father would be furious, one time he even hit him with a rolled up scroll. Oh! And he never could control his bladder. We had to throw out a lot of furniture because he always peed on it." His mother nodded sagely, bringing the cup to her mouth while the other – whom he had identified as Kagome – tried to stifle her laughter.

There was a silence in which Sesshoumaru held his breath. He knew he could be caught at any time. Finally, it was broken.

"I didn't mean to, though. He'll never forgive me."

His mother sighed. "He's had worse; besides, he needs to be put on a leash. Kami knows he's too spontaneous for his own good. Now let me tell you about the time when we were visiting the Southern Lord –"

Sesshoumaru slipped away from the door, his hand coming up to rest on the string of beads and fangs that rested around his neck. He frowned, his gaze returning to the shadows one last time before he left the room.

They were, after all, only shadows against a shoji screen.

_(I promised the next one would be longer, unfortunately I finished it, and hated it completely - it was more plot-based, and I don't like writing plot. What person doesn't like it when his or her mother recounts embarrassing stories to people they may or may not like, hmn? I'm thinking about switching over to Kagome for a time. – Incomprehensible)_


	7. VII

Characters and plot belong to their rightful owners.

**VII.**

The lilies had been a sacrifice.

So had the three large boulders, bushes and shrubs, not to mention the seven trees they had felled so far. Sesshoumaru exhaled inaudibly and stepped up the pace a little.

While he enjoyed sparring with a worthy opponent from time to time, his little escapades with Inuyasha (because honestly, all his brother ever did was shout obscenities and wave the Tetsusaiga around) were far from desirable. The only _real_ reason he kept coming around was because he had made a promise to his father, Inutaisho, that he would "look out" for his younger, half-blood half-brother.

In Sesshoumaru's terms, "look out" practically meant "try to kill at every turn". In the beginning, after he had heard that Inuyasha had been aroused from his fifty-year slumber, he had immediately sought him out, only to come up with dead end after dead end. This villager had seen him _here_, when he was actually _there_ and by the time he had gotten _there_, he was already gone! Apparently idiots running around in red were common among many villages.

The only reason he had sought him out was because he had learned the location of the Tetsusaiga, what he considered to be his birthright. It was the only reason he kept dropping in on the wayward group whenever it pleased him. At least, that was what he had told himself. This way, he could lie to himself (even though he scorned dishonesty) and fulfill his promise to Inutaisho.

In all honesty, though, Sesshoumaru could admit that the Fang wasn't the only reason he kept attacking his brother. Each visit prompted new information about the hanyou's group – especially the miko – and he was never one to bypass a good source of information. Relying on Miyoga and Jaken was annoying. He liked to do his own research.

The hanyou was tiring, he noted in disgust, his brow twitching in his displeasure.

A few metres away, he noticed his brother's pack, lounging on a patch of grass that _hadn't_ been torn up in their apparent rage. Or rather… Inuyasha's apparent rage.

The humans seemed to have pulled out a set of playing sheets, and were going around in a circle, asking for things he couldn't imagine anyone asking in this day and age. It was unthinkable.

"Hmn… do you have any Queens, Miroku?" The miko asked.

The monk in purple smirked, shaking his head while the kit shouted "Go fish, Kagome!"

Sesshoumaru was puzzled. Why would anyone fish for food after requesting queens? Sesshoumaru observed as the raven-haired woman picked up two pieces of painted parchment, grumbling all the while.

His attention was drawn back to the fight, however reluctant, when Inuyasha screamed in frustration and charged him. Sesshoumaru easily dodged the attack, and was about to lay his own down when his ward, Rin, ran screaming through the trees.

"_Lord Sesshoumaru! Lord Sesshoumaru! _Get it out, get it out, get it _out!" _She squealed, doing an odd variation of dance.

"You stupid child!" Jaken wheezed out, clearing the forest in the same rout Rin had taken. "Don't ask Lord Sesshoumaru to do such worthless things!"

Ignoring the imp, Sesshoumaru asked: "What Rin?"

Rin paused, staring up at her guardian before hopping from one foot to the other, her answer coming out high-pitched and breathless.

"There is a frog down Rin's hakama! Get it out!"

Sesshoumaru paled, if possible.

His ward wanted him to do _what?_

_(I've read a lot of stories where characters have gotten into embarrassing and potentially humorous situations, but let me tell you, trying to keep up the funny, dignity denying situations without previous history or background is damn hard. – Incomprehensible)_


	8. VIII

Characters and plot belong to their rightful owners.

**VIII.**

She was dressed in lavender and red. Necklaces weighed her neck down in chains of gold gossamer-fine metals. Her hair, looped and twisted into a painful yet elegant looking style, gleamed like an obsidian ocean, long and fine.

Rin was no longer the young girl, the insufferable child with a knack for grating on his last nerve, that he had known. She had grown into a woman, with curves and a sense of style and an attitude to boot. The one thing that had not changed, however, was her naivety and love of all things pink and flowery. She still had her obsession with his hair, and the annoyingly cute laugh that drove him crazy when he was trying to study.

She was decked out in the finest of silks, the most precious of gems, and had a line of suitors almost as long as the length and width of his home twice combined.

He watched as she smoothed out the folds of her kimono from her spot in front of the vanity – western-styled furniture that he had thought to bring home with him from one of his many business trips.

He stood a silent spectator from her doorway as she applied powder and rouge to her face, once more becoming someone he didn't know – couldn't recognize.

Rin was growing up, and soon he wouldn't be a part of her life anymore, regardless of the promises she had made to him, the vows she had taken and the oaths she had sworn. The Rin he knew was no more than perhaps a distant memory of his. How he hated his life.

How he hated humanity.

The fragility of skin, feeble and warm under his touch, the blood racing; faster, faster, faster. How eloquently placed, strategically and inconveniently righted – to pervert the very nature of life and lives and everything related to it. A mere stain on the dolour entity that was life. How pathetic. How depressing.

"Are we ready to leave?" She asked, her dark brown eyes fastening to his through the reflection of the mirror, unknowingly breaking him out of his stupor.

He nodded and she sighed in relief, her eyes sliding back to her face to watch her movements.

"You have changed." He intoned, pushing off from the wooden frame, eying the leather bag set next to the carefully folded kimonos and jewellery. Presents from her suitors: their "undying" loyalty laid down at her feet like submissive servants to her every beck and call.

"We all change." Rin replied distractedly, drawing his attention back to her slim figure.

As much as he hated to admit it, she was right. Everyone changed, if given the time and opertunity. Sesshoumaru decided then that he didn't like change.

"We leave within the hour." He stated, the undertone of sadness falling through as he turned his back to her, prepared to leave.

"You ought to thank me, Lord Sesshoumaru," she declared dryly, stopping him in his leave. Her tone was teasing, mocking. Sesshoumaru hated being mocked. "After all, it is only because of me that you'll get to see Kagome again. Don't even try to deny it – I _know_ you like her."

Yes, Rin had definitely changed. And with that he walked out of the room, only one thing on his mind.

Once upon a time.

_(More of a sloth-y, depressing undertone meant to describe change, its importance in life, and so on. At this point, the story has taken on more of a plot in regards to where this is headed. The next few chapters should explain it somewhat, though the humour might be cut back a little. – Incomprehensible)_


	9. IX

Characters and plot belong to their rightful owners.

**IX.**

Kagome shifted in her seat on the log beside Sango.

It was awkward having the usually stoic and aloof I'll-eat-you-if-you-touch-me demon lord and his convoy in their company.

If someone had told Kagome that she'd be exchanging civil conversation (no matter how one-sided) with Sesshoumaru two days ago, she would have laughed and told them that they were out of their mind.

Never in a million years would she have predicted that Sesshoumaru would visit their entourage simply _because_.

For any other number of reasons she could see it, for example, to claim the Tetsusaiga via battle she could understand, to taunt Inuyasha she could understand, to join up with them under the guise of defeating Naraku, she could understand with only a little trouble, but simply because his ward asked him was bizarre. She couldn't wrap her head around the concept. It was foreign to her, completely foreign.

It was funny, after Naraku had been killed, she hadn't expected to see him again. Inuyasha had explained the difference between human years, demon years, and how hanyou years connected them. It had fascinated her. Like dog years, except, she wasn't sure which one had the "honour" of being the dog.

Actually, after Naraku had been killed, she hadn't expected to be able to come back to the Feudal Era at all. She had always thought that once Naraku was dead and the jewel completed, she would go back to her own time and stay there permanently. Forever. But forever was another foreign concept she had no understanding of, and it had come as a shock when she had been able to stay with her friends and still travel through the well, and there she was.

Caught in the suspended animation of an awkward silence.

Kagome shifted again, twiddling her thumbs nervously in her lap, Shippou's face buried into her neck, one of his pudgy child-like hands tangled into her hair.

They had been in the middle of one of their little 'escapades': back together as a group again – they did it every few months, but that would soon come to an end when Sango's belly became too rounded in her pregnancy to do too much more than sit, pee and complain about her aching back, neck and feet. Kagome looked forward to the day.

Miroku, sitting beside Sango, coughed into his hand, drawing the entire camp's attention to him.

The metal rings on his staff jingled pleasantly when he leaned against it.

"Is there something we can help you with, Lord Sesshoumaru?" He asked at last, his violet eyes squinting at the demon, as if to get a better look.

Sesshoumaru, himself, looked calm and collected like he always did. His figure, however, was stiff and straight like someone had stuck a metal rod through his spine. He practically exuded his distaste for the situation. At last he narrowed his eyes and turned his head to stare at Rin, as if the very sight of the monk offended him. _'Probably does,'_ Kagome thought with no small amount of distaste.

"Rin?" Kagome asked, upon seeing the girl's reluctance to answer the monk.

"Where is Inuyasha?" She asked after a moment of pause, and Kagome quirked an eyebrow.

Inuyasha, huh?

Well, _that _was a new one.

"Inuyasha?" Miroku asked curiously, his eyes turning speculative as they rested on Sesshoumaru again.

"Indeed."

Rin blushed crimson and looked away, no further answer forthcoming.

Silence enveloped the clearing once again, this one more awkward than the last, and Kagome almost groaned. She hated awkwardness. She'd had enough in the past ten years to last her a lifetime, but it seemed that fate didn't want to cut her a break.

Fate.

Kagome scoffed. Fate was a fickle woman. Kagome swore that if she ever met Fate, she would kick her. Or give her a good tongue-bashing, the likes of which Inuyasha had never seen. First making her go through that horrible stage of puberty when her voice turned all squeaky and high pitched and her boobs started developing and she got her period, and then setting Naraku upon the world, throwing her down a well (a well!), and not to mention becoming a faux mother at the age of fifteen while having her traipse through Japan in nothing but a _white_ sailor-cut shirt _–_ that liked to turn translucent whenever it rained _–_ and a green miniskirt.

Yeah. Fate was going to get it.

Kagome's mouth watered and her stomach churned. This time she did groan.

"Why, why, _why_ today of _all _days?" She muttered under her breath, feeling the faint stinging in her chest. Kagome clenched her cheeks, and shut her eyes, already knowing what would happen. If she moved it would only happen sooner.

Heat swarmed her cheeks as she felt her resistance slipping. Kagome ducked her head and waited for the inevitable.

Soon the unmistakable sound of gas being let loose was heard through the clearing, and if possible, the assarted opening quieted even further.

"I ate bananas." She explained shyly, her cheeks positively burning.

_Well, that's one way to break the ice, _she thought dejectedly.

Sesshoumaru just cocked an eyebrow.

_(I lied. Plot-yness starts next chapter. Maybe. Bananas usually tend to be alkaline, but green bananas are moderately acidic. For some people they can cause heartburn and gas. – Incomprehensible)  
_


	10. X

Characters and plot belong to their rightful owners.

**X.**

He had never been partial to humiliation. He was well versed in the subject of humiliation, however, having seen his brother been "sat" various times in the most undignified of ways and the slayer do humiliating things in response to the monk's perverted hand, but the word 'embarrassing' was not in his vocabulary when it was in some relation to himself.

No, he knew what the word meant, and he most certainly knew what it felt like to embarrass and humiliate some other poor, unfortunate soul, but he had never been exposed in such an affronted, brash way. Well, nothing so severe as to scar his reputation. 'Nor had he ever felt such a disrespectful sting.

Until now, that was.

It had happened so quickly, and he hadn't been paying proper attention like he should have – something he'd never admit to anyone because he was having a hard enough time admitting it to himself. She had just been there, coming to ask him a question, to annoy him with her inconsiderate and highly irritating laughter – it could have been any number of things, and he would never know.

Sesshoumaru would never know the grounds to which he had been publicly humiliated, and he felt disgusted with himself.

It had been so innocent. A rock, a pebble, really, in her path, that she had tripped on. Of course, she had reached out to grasp the nearest object to stop her fall, which, unfortunately for him, had been his pants.

He could only stand there, shocked to a standstill as the chilly wind licked at his bare legs and thighs, covered only in the white silk loincloth.

Sesshoumaru mourned the loss of his prestigious reputation, for surely it was gone now.

But to think, he, Sesshoumaru, pantsed!

It... it just didn't happen to people like him. It didn't happen to him. Period.

And yet here he was, subject to the miko's curious stare. _Right _at his genitalia.

Maybe it was just the heat getting to her – which wasn't likely, seeing as how the season was late autumn – but she could have sworn the slightest hint of rouge dusted the taiyoukai's pale cheeks.

Goodness.

How very undignified.

Kagome snickered.

_(After my little dry spell there, it seems the ideas are piling up. I've got the next few already done, now all I have to do is revise them and work a bit of the plot in. Pooh. – Incomprehensible)_


	11. XI

Characters, plot and _Star Wars_ belong to their rightful owners.

**XI.**

"Sesshoumaru." She said in mock seriousness, her eyes narrowing ever so slightly as she stared at his nose, unable to look him in the eyes. She really loathed herself for explaining the American _Star Wars_ movies to Sango at the moment. She also hated herself for having picked dare, and sucking at rock, paper, scissors, which was what had initially gotten her into the situation in the first place.

It didn't really help that he was the most feared, most powerful and most humourless person she knew. Never mind the fact that he was very prideful. His strong sense of honour would probably kill her, his pride would demand her death after this little 'stunt'.

'_Damn you, Sango, damn you!' _Kagome cursed, imagining all the things she could make her best friend do as payback. Groping Miroku seemed like the best, though.

Slowly, Kagome inhaled in a very Darth Vader-esque style, and repeated the line Sango had demanded she quote.

"I am your father."

What a horrible day.

And she was just starting her period, too.

_(I was thinking, Star Wars cross Inuyasha. Shippou as Luke, Kaede as Obi Wan Kanobi, and Jaken as Yoda. Think it'd sell? This chapter is dedicated to my awesome Kidney Buddy, Roune, for having the same thoughts as me. ;D Give me grandbabies, dammit! – Incomprehensible)_


	12. XII

Characters and plot belong to their rightful owners.

**XII.**

The sun had passed its zenith in the sky marking mid-day, and had long since started its laborious descent toward the relatively flat horizon, casting the world aglow in hues of red, pink, gold and orange as Sesshoumaru made his way towards the hill.

"Miko," Sesshoumaru called, stopping at the base of the green acclivity. "Come out."

An exasperated huff met his elegantly tapered ears and the sound of the grass being crushed under her footfalls.

"And here I thought I was being stealthy." Kagome enthused sarcastically, crossing her arms over her chest and setting her lips into a stubborn line as she sidled up next to him.

"Miko," he addressed her, because he had never bothered with the familiarity of using first names. "One would think a bear might be quieter than you." He criticised.

"It's not nice to spy, Sesshoumaru." She countered, breaking his name down into four teasing syllables and ignoring his comment at the same time.

Sesshoumaru cocked an eyebrow as he glanced down at the raven-haired woman, half amused half annoyed with her. "Indeed, and I am here to smell the flowers. What is your excuse, Miko?"

She huffed again, stomping her foot. "Oh, fine. I'm out here to spy; now let's go, I want to know what they're doing!" In response to her ever-so-eloquently put demand, his other eyebrow rose, disappearing behind the curtain of his silvery bangs before turning abruptly and continuing up the hill, Kagome following behind, pouting.

She found it half amusing to see the regal demon lord squatting behind a conveniently placed bush. Well, that was a lie. She found it amusing to find him doing anything that wasn't a natural pose, she was envious, though, that he could take such a simple action and make it look... well, not simple, to put it bluntly.

Soon, Rin's voice found its way to her ears and she had to bite her tongue to keep from groaning in frustration.

"What's your relationship with Kagome?" Blunt, direct, and to the point. The only thing it lacked was the original questioner's face and vicious intent. It was ironic: the same old story re-enacted by different people. Or, the same people in their case, just a different Kikyou.

"Keh, that wench?" Inuyasha asked, surprised. "Kagome's nothing. Why?"

"No reason," Rin replied, sounding much happier than before. "Just curious."

Kagome hummed under her breath, cuing Sesshoumaru's attention. "There's no way she wants their relationship to stay at a purely platonic state." She explained upon noticing the direction of his attention.

"Rin is innocent of these intentions." He defended the oblivious girl-child before them, but not quietly enough. Neither noticed the white ear swivel in their direction.

"No she isn't!" Kagome insisted, her voice slightly louder. "I'm a woman, trust me."

Sesshoumaru fought back the urge to roll his eyes.

"And what does your apparent gender have to do with Rin's intentions?" He questioned, not getting it at all. What did her being female have to do with Rin and Inuyasha's relationship – which was purely platonic, and he'd be damned if he didn't see to it that it stayed that way.

"It's woman's intuition: I know these things, and trust me, she's–" Kagome was cut off by the rude clearing of a throat. She looked up to see Inuyasha standing before them, hands on his hips in a demeaning manner. Kagome squeaked and fell backwards in surprise, landing on her butt with an audible 'oof'.

"We're not spying! We're looking for his grandmother!" Was her hasty defence.

Kagome flinched at the lameness of her excuse. Inuyasha was never going to buy that in a million years.

Rin's irritated glare made her cringe and shrink back as she asked, her voice strained: "Do you even _have_ a grandmother?"

"Told you." Was all Kagome could say to Sesshoumaru.

_(Izayoui: Is-a-U-ee. For some reason I can't spell it like that, it has to be Izayoi. It's funny; I spell everything else with a 'u': Shippou, Sesshoumaru, Kikyou, colour, but not Izayoi. I don't like this chapter at all. It feels...fake. Unrealistic. Grr. Cheers guys, have a good weekend. – Incomprehensible)_


	13. XIII

_Characters and plot belong to their rightful owners._

**XIII.**

She was doing it again... _walking_.

He noticed that since joining the group, she had always worn a tight–fitting pair of hakama – much to his disappointment. He missed the green little cloth that wrapped around her hips and fell just below her buttocks. It showed off her legs, which these... "pants"... did not. The white shirt, however, had remained on her person.

Sesshoumaru liked to walk behind the group some, to watch the miko's hips swing from side to side as she walked. He now knew why the monk liked to hang behind the others, but the thought of Kagome with the lecherous man made him somewhat sick and only a little jealous – at least the monk was a probable candidate in the running for her affections.

Not that he would like to be considered a candidate or anything (because that was just absurd!); it was just that such looks should not be wasted on something so... so...

... common.

Of course, that didn't go to say that he thought her beautiful, in fact, as far as youkai went, she was rather plain.

His mother was another story completely, although, the young woman had won the cantankerous bitch over with her little collaring 'trick' – it had only lasted a day, and then he had demanded she take it off at once, but thank God they'd never found the activating word. He didn't even want to think about what disasters _that_ would herald.

Sesshoumaru's hand twitched as the monk stepped a little closer to the duo.

That man, despite the broad horizon of knowledge he possessed, really grated on his nerves. How had he joined the group anyway?

And then there was the half–breed.

Sesshoumaru's brow ticked.

Inuyasha had kept an irritatingly close watch on him – making sure to keep an eye on him at all times: sleeping on a branch of the tree stationed diagonal from him, when they stopped for breaks, and, most annoyingly, whenever he spoke to the miko.

The possessive pup didn't like him "sniffing" – the miko's term – around what he considered his own. She had then gone on to explain, in detail, that she was _not_ his. After five minutes, Sesshoumaru had felt he'd been adequately informed, and had politely excused himself from the conversation, and her company.

Meaning, he had walked away with no explanation.

He suspected Kagome was still smarting over that.

It didn't matter, though. His time was precious, and not to be wasted on such trivial things as who belonged to who, and where said who belonged. Although, he couldn't say he hadn't felt the smallest inkling of satisfaction upon hearing that she didn't belong to Inuyasha. Even if he wouldn't admit it to himself, Sesshoumaru had grown somewhat... fond... of the human in the last little while.

It seemed everywhere he turned, there was the miko, or some form of the miko that, ultimately, reminded him of her.

"Oy!" His brother shouted, and Sesshoumaru snapped out of his miko–induced reverie. "Do something useful for once, will yah, and go look for some place we can stop!"

Sesshoumaru sneered silently. Being ordered around by a mere slip of a boy. How disgraceful.

_At the very least,_ he thought, dejectedly as he took to the sky, _it might get my mind away from the miko._

As he was passing, he just happened to glance down, and from his vantage point, he could see down the front of Kagome's shirt – the pale white skin of her breasts flashing, up down, up down as she walked. From where he was, he could just barely make out the gold fabric that held them together.

Sesshoumaru shook his head. He knew he was going to be flying a lot more often from now on.

_Unlikely_.

_(I went down to Spokane over the weekend to see the Nutcracker. The ballet was amazing, the Nutcracker sucked. The US has some bloody tall people, yeah? – Incomprehensible)_


	14. XIV

Characters and plot belong to their rightful owners.

**XIV.**

There was gold, there was peach, and there was silver, and Kagome was stuck.

The raven–haired woman found herself stuck in more ways than one, and it bothered her some. She wasn't sure if it was the fact that she had nowhere to go, with only three feet separating them, give or take, or the fact that she was stuck here with _him_. It could have been anyone else, and she would have been just peachy keen. Absolutely wonderful.

Well, maybe that was going a bit far.

She wouldn't have minded much, to make amends.

And then it was dark, and Kagome was lost.

There was no guide to this, no How To: For Dummies, and especially not in this situation.

She'd never been alone with Sesshoumaru like this before. In fact, she'd never been alone with him, period. Not completely, anyways. There was always someone around: Sango and Miroku by the fire, Inuyasha just around the bend, Shippou and Rin and Ah–Un and Jaken.

But now there was no one, and it frightened her. She knew Sesshoumaru would never hurt her, but just being in his presence unguarded made her nervous, anxious, excited and a whole score of other emotions she couldn't be pressed to name. Her stomach was in her throat.

Slowly, her eyes adjusted to the limited light, just a little stream of the upperworld filtering through a tiny crack in the mountain of rocks and boulders they were buried under.

Little tufts of snow fell through occasionally, chilling the air and blocking what little light they had.

It had happened so suddenly, out of the blue.

Well, that was a lie.

Inuyasha was to blame for this. She had _warned_ the stubborn hanyou that the ground was unstable. After all that snow, sleet and rain build up it would be a miracle if the hollow mountain's crust hadn't been weakened some. But _no! _He had to go with the lets-ignore-Kagome-and-logic rout! (She'd been told it was more scenic, but that wasn't an excuse! And besides, who the hell was Inuyasha to pay attention to, much less enjoy, scenery?)

"Keh! I know what I'm doin'. The mountain ain't gonna cave!" He'd said.

"_I know what I'm doin', wench! Stand back as I flaunt my manly powers! Be awed by my big _sword!_" _Kagome mocked under her breath, crossing her arms over her chest stubbornly and missing the amused look Sesshoumaru shot her. "Ugh! Stupid Inuyasha! Just wait until I get out of here...! I'll mess him up so bad that he won't even be able to tell up from down! I'll sit him so bad that his back will break! _Arrg!_" She half screamed.

They'd both been stuck for almost two hours now, and as the sun had inched towards the horizon, the temperature had dropped dramatically. The fleece jacket Kagome had donned earlier just barely kept her from feeling the chill now.

Rubbing her arms for warmth, Kagome sneezed.

It was just her luck that she'd get buried under a couple hundred pounds of rock and mud and then catch a cold. "It figures...." She murmured quietly.

In the dim of the small cavern, Sesshoumaru moved, wrapping his arm around her slender waist and pulling her flush against him.

"S–Se–Sesshoumaru?" Kagome asked hesitantly – unsure.

"It would not benefit either of us if you were to fall ill." He replied stoically, his liquid honey eyes boring into hers.

Perhaps it was the moonlight shining down from above that lit his face so angelically, or perhaps it was the way that Sesshoumaru's eyes seemed to swirl like an iridescent pond, and maybe it was the chilly nip in the air that always seemed to spark some sort of magic, but something made Kagome snuggle closer to the Taiyoukai, raise herself onto her tippy toes, and mould her lips to his.

_(Damn, I hate this one! Such a pain in the bloody arse to write. Except for the end. That was my favourite. So... many... errors! I'm dying here! Anyways, on a happier note, I have reached the 6,000 hit mark for _Dignity Denied! _Whooot! Thanks for reading! Tell your mother, tell your sister, tell the yak on your front lawn! Be dears and review. It makes me _haaaapy!_ – Incomprehensible)_


	15. XV

_Characters and plot belong to their rightful owners._

**XV.**

Shippou may have been young, but he was no fool, and with only a little trouble on his behalf, he could see what was going on.

His surrogate mother's confusion shone as brightly as any fire–lit beacon to him, her emotions fluctuating and flaring whenever the stoic, white Taiyoukai was around. He had been watching them for some time now, and he was almost certain he knew what to do. The only thing he had to worry about, though, was his Kagome getting hurt, or losing his own life and Shippou was certain that _wasn't_ a good thing.

Shippou, himself, was only fifty–four years of age, hardly a baby in youkai society, and old enough to know what was going on by his own right. After all, he didn't have a nose and cunning personality for nothing. It had taken many days of observation on both parts, acting sneaky and paying attention when he maybe shouldn't have, but at last he had come to a decision. After he had gotten confirmation, he had set out to devise a smart, easy, efficient plan that would make Kagome happy.

He'd come up with nothing.

Now, standing in the middle of the clearing, his back to the demon, Shippou tried to stop his hands and knees from shaking too badly. He was terrified and only a little unsure. He didn't even know what he was going to say! His safety was guaranteed, but Shippou didn't know if the youkai would keep from shedding his blood when this was all over.

All he wanted was Kagome to be happy, and if Inuyasha didn't cut it (which he obviously didn't – in Kagome's terms "_duh" _fit well enough) then someone else could step up and try, all he needed to do was get a little coaxing in, and hopefully escape with his head intact and body still assembled.

The Taiyoukai didn't kill children... did he?

Steeling his nerves, Shippou turned to face the enormous mass of youki behind him. The hair on the back of his neck prickled and stung, standing on end. The swirling red mass engulfed him and he fought down the urge to flee. He would do this for his momma.

"Sesshoumaru," Shippou stated in the most authoritive voice that he possessed. In retrospect, he was proud that it only wavered a _little_. The lord made no move, and he took it as a sign to continue. "What are your intentions toward Kagome?"

One pristine, white brow rose above the other, and Shippou's anxiety increased tenfold. This was it. He was going to die, he just knew it. He squeezed his little eyes shut and prayed that Kagome wouldn't cry_ too_ much for him.

Wind blew through the small clearing, tossing up frozen leaves and sending snow skating over the icy ground.

A minute passed, and nothing happened. Shippou cracked an eye open, wondering why he wasn't dead. The Taiyoukai had turned his back to the small kitsune and was walking towards the forest that would lead back to the main group.

"Wait!" Shippou cried out desperately, and sighed in relief when Sesshoumaru stopped by the edge of the forest. He hastily continued. "I just wanted to know because Inuyasha is a big meany and made Kagome cry lots of times, she does a lot for us, and I don't think she's happy, he never really made her happy and I just thought... I thought..." Shippou trailed off, tears welling up in his eyes.

"I just thought that maybe you might be able to make her happy." He mumbled, sniffing to keep his nose from running. "Just don't make momma cry."

In the thick silence that followed, Shippou clasped his hands together, twisting them to rest under his chin so they wouldn't freeze.

Another stray gust of wind flitted through the forest, picking Sesshoumaru's ivory hair up and dancing with it.

Sesshoumaru gave a noncommittal grunt, and left.

Long after the Taiyoukai was gone and his tears had dried, Shippou sniffled and said, perhaps to the wind, and perhaps to nobody: "I just want Kagome to be happy."

_(This goes to all the married women, children and overprotective friends/siblings out there. Mothers are amazing people. Cheers! – Incomprehensible)_


	16. XVI

Characters and plot belong to their rightful owners.

**XVI.**

The wind was blowing gently, whipping the snow around and carving soft, sensual shapes into its depths.

The sky was aglow, rendered pink and orange and gold like torn silk, and Kagome couldn't look away.

She had spent many years in the Feudal Era and had seen many winters, but she had never really stopped to appreciate the marvellous sights. Now that Naraku was dead and the quest for jewel shards was over, Kagome felt awed, having finally taken time to just look at the world and how different it was, how the past and the future contrasted. The future had nothing as magnificent as this, and Kagome was sad. The world might never again look as clean, as pure, as it did in that moment in the Feudal Era.

To think that human kind could eradicate this nature in order to build ugly – cold, unfeeling – skyscrapers and smoke-stack buildings that would just tear apart the ozone and wreck the word even more.

The world would never look the same again – never the same reds or oranges, never quite that medley of hues caught between silver and blue – it made Kagome depressed.

A sigh made its way passed Kagome's lips, undisturbed.

That seemed to be all she had been doing in the last few days – sigh and be depressed, be depressed and sigh.

A presence at her side made Kagome jump, her head craning to the side and her hand coming up to rest over her erratically beating heart.

"What is it with you dog demons and scaring me?" Kagome asked drily, not at all amused at losing another ten years off her life. Inuyasha had done the same thing not ten minutes previous.

Sesshoumaru's imperious silver eyebrow graced the fringe of his bangs once more with its presence and Kagome turned her head back to look at the scenery again. She didn't want to miss even a second of the sight nature had prepared for her, unknowingly or not.

"You're not so different, you know." Kagome commented, lazily stooping down to capture a hand full of ice and snow, watching disinterestedly as it melted and slipped through her open fingers, leaving only cold, wet flesh behind. The awkwardness of having kissed Sesshoumaru, _the_ Sesshoumaru, hadn't yet faded from her mind, the notion still whetting her imagination and making her unsure of what to say. What was the correct behaviour and procedure of the after-kiss?

Act shy, docile and meek, or fiery, passionate, fierce and ardent? Perhaps she should just forget the whole incident and move on with life, like Sesshoumaru appeared to have done, but then again, that was Sesshoumaru – you could set yourself on fire in front of him and he'd just raise that damnable eyebrow of his. The greatest reaction she might have gotten from him, if she had done that, would be a noncommittal 'hn', and then he would be gone, like the sun over the horizon, indifferent to the sufferings of those under its watch.

She rather liked that analogy.

Regardless, Kagome wasn't Sesshoumaru, and as such, she couldn't just drop it and leave it behind like luggage or... or... or yesterday's trash! She doubted she'd ever forget it.

Sesshoumaru Of The Best (because, honestly, he seemed like one of those guys who liked to capitalize everything) had let her kiss him and survive. The very fact was astonishing – she still hadn't gotten over the fact that she wasn't dead and buried ten feet under. What a riot.

Someday, when she had children of her own, maybe she would tell them of the anomaly that was Sesshoumaru. But then again, maybe she would keep him to herself, a memory of the past. Kagome wondered what he would say to that, if she ever worked up the nerve to tell him.

"I think," she started. "I think you'd get along, if it had a physical form."

"Who are you talking about, Miko?" The Taiyoukai drawled apathetically.

"The snow." She replied slowly, watching as the last of the snow slipped between her fingers.

His other eyebrow quirked.

Kagome bit the inside of her cheek to keep from growling at him or doing something equally as stupid. She rather fancied her life and her head.

"You're both white," she explained, gesturing to the ground below their feet. "Both cold at first appearance, but warm once you acquaint yourself, both are beautiful, but only one sticks around all year long." She winked at him, and Sesshoumaru had to fight back the heat that threatened to invade his cheeks.

Kagome turned back to the clearing that overlooked the valley and the village below it, glistening and shimmering like an elusive water. The sun was almost behind the mountains, now.

"How is it that snow is warm when you... _acquaint_ yourself with it?" Sesshoumaru asked suddenly, intrigued.

And so, Kagome began her long and very detailed explanation of snow camping.

And through the words, the awkwardness melted away.

_(Have a spectacular Christmas, everyone. See you in a while. Cheers! – Incomprehensible)_


	17. XVII

Characters and plot belong to their rightful owners.

**XVII.**

"Miko." Sesshoumaru ground out, his patience tried.

The woman actually thought she could get away without answering him? Sesshoumaru growled in the confines of his mind, his frustration mounting. He had allowed the young woman too free a rein and now she thought she could just ignore him whenever she liked. Pitiful. Pitiful and disgusting.

Sesshoumaru wasn't sure whether it was the woman or himself he was disgusted and frustrated with.

"Kagome." He tried again, making a conscious effort to sound calm and unaffected. A dubious smirk crossed her face and he knew he had failed entirely. So much for composure.

"Yes, Sesshoumaru?" She asked sweetly, innocently. The miserable cur. As if she didn't know what he was talking about! This also added to his growing frustration. It was like an itch beneath his skin: so close, yet he could not scratch it. Like a dog. Suddenly, his blackened mood seemed more foul.

"Answer me." He growled out, his eyes narrowing and his teeth aching with the amount of pressure he was using to clamp them together.

"No. I won't." He saw red.

"Why not?"

"Your question was linguistically incorrect." She replied, and danced off.

_(Good ol' Kagome one-upping Sesshoumaru in English and its complex nature. Anyways, since my origins are European, I celebrate on Christmas Eve instead of Christmas Day. Shall I go practice my 'ho-ho-ho'ing? But besides that... I'll let you in on a secret, but you have to be _really_ quiet and not tell anybody, okay? C'mere! _I love youuu! _Say you love me, too!_ _– Incomprehensible)_


	18. XVIII

Characters and plot belong to their rightful owners.

**XVIII.**

If there was one word to describe Higurashi Kagome's life, it was "awkward".

Her life was more awkward than that stage of pubescence caught between childhood and adulthood, but less awkward than everyday functioning in the "real world", as her mother had called it.

It seemed that everywhere she went, everything she did and everything she said created more awkwardness to add to the ever-rising water levels that threatened to envelop and drown her. Kissing Sesshoumaru had only been one of the many things to help sink her boat. The proverbial "straws", so to speak, and now that she had been left _high and dry_, Kagome didn't know what to do.

If they had been in modern-day Tokyo, and if they were both modern-day _humans_, things might have been different – simpler. Unfortunately for Kagome, they weren't, and as if to mock her very existence, the Fates and God had made sure to make every turn in her life be miserable and curse-worthy. She had to fight tooth and nail for each foot grip that hoisted her farther and farther up the steep incline – the proverbial mountain, so to speak.

Her chances of falling were great.

It was during this mind–altering, body–numbing climb that she found out who she really was, and who she wasn't. It had come as no real shock to finally be understood and acknowledged as Kagome, and not Kikyou, and only the smallest fraction of the happiness she had expected to feel upon the honour of "gaining" herself that she had felt; like air seeping through a cloth. Nothing exciting at all.

It had taken her a long time to realize that her family beyond the well, while in blood and name, wasn't the one she wanted to spend her life with. Modern day Tokyo just wasn't what she wanted it to be anymore, and although electricity, hot baths and her bed were at the top of her list of "to miss", Kagome felt that she was better off in the Feudal Era.

It had always been expected that once the jewel was complete, Naraku dead and peace restored to the world again, that she would go back to the home beyond the well, where she would stay until... well, until she died, to put it bluntly.

Growing up, getting married, having and rearing children... the idea appealed to Kagome, but having it all in the modern world? There was no bigger turn–off for her. It disgusted her that she could be so vain while so... not materialistic.

And her friends, what would she tell them?

Her family might say she had died in some unfortunate accident or other, or maybe her grandfather would have her be killed off by some foreign plague that had fifteen syllables and only three vowels. She was sure her grandpa would get a kick out of that. But no, the most plausible excuse would be to send her to some boarding school overseas, or go to one of the "world–renowned" hospitals in America.

America.

Kagome tossed back a drink, her fingers clenching around the glass.

America was all she was hearing about, these days. Famous football players, cheerleaders, movie stars and action heroes and heroines. Despicable and ostentatious.

She had heard the phrase "Blame Canada" before, but never understood it. Why blame Canada when you could blame America? After all, from what she could gather from the television set her family owned and what her friends were saying, America was the source of most of the world's calamity.

Kagome grinned bitterly, taking another sip of the vulgar liquor.

She'd never been a drinker, and until tonight, had never needed a reason to take up the cup.

The place looked like one of those American bars from the old Western movies Kagome and her friends used to watch on lazy Sunday afternoons. Sleazy middle–aged man behind the polished hardwood alignment, vintage red velvet bar seats, wooden tables in the background and shelf upon shelf stacked with various liquors and bottles, all wafting the same intoxicating breeze. She couldn't wait until the morning.

She was only in this era for two days, the most she had been able to barter with Inuyasha at the price of her hard work, and she'd be damned if she didn't spend those two days doing whatever the hell she wanted to, and at the moment, drowning her sorrows in booze and beverages seemed to fit her just fine. After all, the bartender didn't seem to mind.

"Another one." She called to him, tipping her cup to drain the last of the burgundy–gold rustic liquid, eyeing the cup as it was set down in front of her, filled to the brim with more of the delectable nectar of the gods. "Be it food or drink it matters not, but be merry." The phrase was wrong on her tongue, like liquid silver it rolled from well–oiled hinges in the caverns of her tongue, and Kagome wondered how the phrase could be so... adequate, and yet so fucked up.

But then again, she had fucked it up.

Oh, well. She'd never been very good with English, anyway. And wasn't it a Greek who had said that, anyway?

Kagome sighed and sloshed the liquid around her cup, trying not to think about how similar the spirits' colour was to a very distinct pair of eyes she knew. What surprised her, however, was the fact that it wasn't the pair of eyes that she thought it might be, or the one she _wished_ it might be.

No, the honeyed colour was far more reminiscent of Sesshoumaru than Inuyasha, whose own eyes were more orange of a setting sun than gold of the warmest nugget.

Kagome wondered if their father's eyes leaned more towards Sesshoumaru's or Inuyasha's.

Kagome stopped thinking as she brought the glass up to her lips, her eyes surveying the little bar once more, appreciative of the darker coloured theme, for once. When her father had died, Kagome had surrounded herself in the soft medley of pinks and yellows, happy colours, but sometimes – and she found this the first – she needed dark and depressing.

What was this? She asked herself, throwing back her head as the rest of the alcohol slowly burned its way down her throat. Her fourth, fifth, drink? She had passed 'warm and fuzzy' five drinks ago, anyhow. She and alcohol didn't mix well. Like oil and water, she analogized, giggling quietly at her own realization.

She should drink more – everything seemed so damn funny when she was drunk, although, she was sure everything would look just as ugly and depressing when she woke up in the morning again, if not worse. She'd read about hangovers before, oh boy had she ever! They didn't sound fun at all. And now, for the first time in her twenty-two years of life, she would be experiencing one. She just hoped it went easy on her. Vomiting and looking like shit _really_ didn't appeal to her at the moment.

Tearing up her oesophagus twice in less than twenty-four hours didn't sound very healthy at all, she mused, before bursting into a new round of giggles.

If only Sango were here, she enthused silently, after she had sobered just enough to stop her laughing. At least then she would have some female company to talk about this with. It was damn hard trying to figure everything out on her own, never mind try to devise a plan to get Rin and Inuyasha together, or away from each other, if the need should ever arise.

For someone so clever, Sesshoumaru sure was useless when it came to planning and relationships. Funny, that. He always seemed so coordinated, so organized. To think that he, great and indestructible Killing Machine in the flesh would just wing it wherever he went. Now _that, _she could bet, not many people knew about.

It amused her how her thoughts kept straying back to the singular Taiyoukai.

She'd felt this feeling before, but... where?

Where? Where? Where? Where? 'Where' was a five letter word, she realized, slowly standing and withdrawing some wrinkled bills. Laying them down on the counter, Kagome got up and left, staggering out the door and into the smog-laced Tokyo air. She inhaled deeply, making her head feel light and airy, and scowled. "Nothing like being home." She murmured under her breath, and stuck her hands into her pockets.

It seemed Tokyo was no warmer in winter than it was in the past.

The past.

Five hundred years.

Paradoxes and foxes and boxes.

Kagome giggled again, grasping one of the street light fixtures for support while she doubled over in her mad laughing fit.

Well, she would have interesting dreams tonight, yes she would. Kind of like that one movie – Alice in Wonderland. Except, she was fairly certain that her well was more dignified than a rabbit hole, because that was just plain weird. She wondered if the producers had been on some kind of drug when they animated it. It wouldn't have surprised her – Americans.

"Blame America!" She slurred drunkenly, trying to dance down the sidewalk and thoroughly embarrassing herself, although she was adamant that she didn't care in the slightest. She would be gone tomorrow, anyway. "I can be _free!" _She yelled, twirling and pirouetting haphazardly in some direction that she just _hoped_ was home. There was just no use, she realized as she stumbled through a park, slumping down onto a conveniently placed bench and resting her elbows on her knees, her head in her palms.

Her head ached.

Her body ached.

After a few minutes in that position, and when her headache had lessened severely, Kagome sat up, tilting her head back to stare at the would-be stars. She slumped back against the bench and closed her eyes, imagining the silvery-grey sea of stars caught in the tangled indigo-and-black net of velvet that was the night sky. The sparkled brightly, and Kagome could see a shooting star pass over the horizon, streaking towards its unknown destination.

One star in particular caught her attention, and Kagome focused on it, shining more brightly than the rest. She wondered if it was her.

Or maybe it was Shippou, or maybe even Rin.

No, she decided at last, her mind growing fuzzy with sleep. It was definitely Sesshoumaru that shone more brightly than the rest.

And in that split second that she saw him as a sparkling white and silver star, Kagome came to a realization.

She loved him.

And then Kagome turned to the side and vomited.

God, she needed to stop drinking.

_(No comment. Oh, wait. I hereby do discredit any mentioning in this oneshot. I also realize that the person who came up with the whole _Alice in Wonderland_ plot and story _was_ on drugs. No comment, no comment, no comment. – Incomprehensible)_


	19. XIX

Characters and plot belong to their rightful owners.

**XIX.**

There were only a few things Sesshoumaru hadn't witnessed in his life.

Among them, this was one of them. Very possibly ranking number one in large, bold font that practically screamed "no" and slapped him in the face when he tried to approach.

Sesshoumaru was _not_ one to be slapped.

It wasn't often that Sesshoumaru got slapped in the face and the perpetrator got off easy. "Easy" in his books practically translated to "slow and painful death" right next to "idiots in red are common". However, due to the fact that reality and _logic_ were entirely fictional beings that helped keep the world functioning and normal people sane, he couldn't kill it without suffering consequences. Namely his sanity.

But Sesshoumaru wasn't sure he even still retained that quality.

He could have sworn he saw it fly out the proverbial window when he had joined the little entourage and... _befriended_... the miko Kagome. After all, sanity was just one of those things that were _oh_ so hard to keep hold of. How his half brother did was amazing. But then again, the fact that he hadn't taken a bath in _at least_ a year and gotten away unscathed and not riddled with fifty serious illnesses and diseases was a miracle, too. Just one of those "don't ask" things, he was sure.

It was interesting, though.

While red was often affiliated with passion, determination and pain, he had never seen the specific colour look so tempting... so seductive; so _forbidden_.

It was almost a sin how she made the colour so naïvely suggestive. In all his days, Sesshoumaru had never been tempted as such.

He fought against the urge to squirm, his face straining under the need to keep impassive as he carefully switched positions so any evidence might be hidden from sight.

Fifty yards away and sucking on a candy cane, Kagome was not so innocent.


	20. XX

Characters and plot belong to their rightful owners.

**XX.**

He had known it was a bad idea. He had known from the very beginning, and yet, somehow he had allowed the silly little miko to seduce him into it.

When she had stolen him away from the group under the guise that she had something to... _show_ him, he had told himself not to do it, he had just _known_ that it would turn out badly, and yet, her deliciously wide eyes and red, red_ pouting_ lips had conned him into going – against his better judgement.

He had been oddly touched when she had confessed to wanting him to be the first to see and try this entity from the future, a sort of warming feeling had blossomed in his chest, and if he hadn't known better, he would have said he was humbled by the simple act. It was a good thing Sesshoumaru knew better.

The very moment she had turned her back to him and knelt, raising her deliciously round little rump in the air (pants, he had been disappointed to notice), he should have turned and walked away, and yet... he had been intrigued.

_Never again_, he promised himself, scowling at the audacity of the mortal woman currently occupied with looking very embarrassed, blushing a thirteen shades of red and carefully avoiding his gaze. Never again would he trust her.

It had been all and well when she had stood from her kneeling position, quickly spinning around and sticking her hands behind her back, but he had caught a glimpse of something. At that point, his instincts had sky-rocketed and told him that it _really_ wasn't a good idea, and he had been inclined to agree, because, since when had anything red ever brought him anything but misery and the foulest of odious moods?

But his curiosity had rooted him to the place, and he had never been one to flee, in the first place.

She had warned him – _"You may not like this_," she had said. She had warned him – as if that hadn't been enough for him to turn tail and leave! But he had brushed it off, thinking it couldn't be all _that_ bad.

Oh, how wrong he had been.

He had raised the brow he knew she didn't particularly like. It was always fun to tease the meek woman: she always took the bait.

Kagome had just shrugged and removed her hands from behind her back and the other brow had risen of its own accord.

There, in her hands, the miko held a glass pitcher of violently sloshing red liquid.

The liquid, itself, permeated the air with a swelteringly sweet scent, and immediately he knew he would be consuming it.

Sesshoumaru couldn't decide if the grin on the miko's face was endearing or downright evil as she held it out for his inspection.

"_However_," she had continued, nonplussed by his incredulous look. _"I'm sure you'll have no problem with it._" She had then gone on to describe how this particular... drink (and he was reluctant to use the term) didn't have any side effects to dogs, that she knew of. He didn't know whether to be insulted by that.

He had settled for indifference.

Whipping out a plastic cup from behind her back, the miko then proceeded to pour the juice.

But a few sparse seconds later, Kagome held the beaker out to him, and Sesshoumaru realized that there was no going back and there was no escape.

Sesshoumaru sniffed experimentally, testing for poisons or other toxic substances, but the sweetness of the drink overpowered the others. "_Girl_," he had warned solemnly, his face betraying none of the thoughts he currently hosted. "If this is poisoned..." he let the sentence trail off and understanding had dawned on her face shortly before the onset of outraged anger.

"I wouldn't _poison_ you, Sesshoumaru!" She had shrieked at him, her hand shaking, making the liquid tremble inside the cup.

Reaching out to take the cup, Sesshoumaru hadn't anticipated the weight of the drink, and so when Kagome had released it, the red glass had slipped through his fingers, tumbled down his chest and spilled down his abdomen and legs.

Silence reigned supreme in the following seconds, and Sesshoumaru distantly wondered how these things _always_ seemed to happen to _him, especially_ around the miko, or when she was involved. Although, he couldn't say he was surprised – she was so clumsy that if a day passed wherein she _didn't_ cause trouble or spill something, he would have been pleasantly surprised.

Such was the fruit of wishful thinking, though.

"Oh, my gosh!" Kagome gasped, her hand coming up to cover her mouth. As if that was going to help his current predicament. Why was it that he was always indisposed? "I'm _so_ sorry, Sesshoumaru! I didn't mean to–I didn't think–" she stuttered and he clenched his hand into a fist, the sharpened nails digging into the flesh of his palm.

Sesshoumaru refrained from saying anything, instead opting to remain silent as the wayward woman made a mad dash for her bag, extracting a cloth and rushing back to him to wipe away the evidence. Sesshoumaru rolled his eyes at the top of her head and tried to push the feeling of her hands on his body away.

"Miko." He intoned after he had successfully failed.

"Right." She declared nervously, backing away and surveying her work. Sesshoumaru, too, had taken a look and been appalled to find that instead of making it go away (he hadn't had much hope to begin with), she had just furthered along the process and started the first steps of drying the cloth, thoroughly doused in the crimson substance.

"I'm so, so,_ so_ sorry, Sesshoumaru!" Kagome apologized again, wringing the rag in her hands nervously.

"Unnecessary." Sesshoumaru squeezed out, and then turned and walk away.

At that point in time, Sesshoumaru had vowed to always, always, always keep a second pair of clothing with him at _all_ times, in case of repeats in the future, although, from where he was sitting, there wouldn't _be_ repeats. Or so he promised himself.

Upon arriving back at the camp, he had received incredulous stares from the remainder of the group, while Inuyasha had taken one look and busted out laughing.

"_That_ time of the month, _Lord _Sesshoumaru?_" _Inuyasha sneered after his laughter had abated.

"So much for cranberry juice!" Kagome groaned, back in the clearing.

–

Not a week later, Inuyasha stormed through the forest and into the camp, his hair dripping a red liquid substance and his outer haori positively drenched.

"That time of the month, _little_ brother?"

Sesshoumaru smirked.


	21. XXI

Characters and plot belong to their rightful owners.

**XXI.**

Kagome hoisted herself over the well's ledge, the large yellow pack slung over her shoulder and her nose red.

Bringing her hands up to her face, rubbing them together and blowing hot air onto them, Kagome looked around the clearing. Inuyasha wasn't anywhere in sight. That probably meant that Rin had him busy, and that was a good thing. In her haste to evacuate any area and circumstance that involved Sesshoumaru and herself and the word 'alone', Kagome had devised the plan to get Rin and Inuyasha together.

So far, nothing had worked. The carolling had turned out horribly, with Inuyasha refusing to sing, never mind getting Sesshoumaru to participate. As it was, she wouldn't have wanted to touch him with a fifteen foot pole. Getting _him_ to sing was like trying to teach cattle to talk. Or, in other cases, Kagome mused, Inuyasha proper etiquette (forks weren't his thing, though, and _she_ certainly wasn't going to sacrifice her eye or other bodily parts – forks were, after all, miniature... pronged... swords by extension).

The "romantic night alone" hadn't worked solely because Shippou hadn't wanted to leave the warmth of the hut. At least, not when there was warm food (the roast she had spent all day making for the occasion) around.

Then she had moved to things more dramatic. Stargazing and sending them off to do things together. Alone.

Neither strategy had worked.

Either Rin didn't know how to seduce Inuyasha or she didn't like him as much as she said she did. Since the latter of the two wasn't as plausible as the first, Kagome completely disregarded it.

She would have to talk to Rin about getting to Inuyasha. Having been the stubborn hanyou's friend for nigh on eight years, Kagome figured that she was entitled to giving advice to possible suitors where her best friend was involved. She had decided that she was as qualified as any when it came to classifications and the like.

Everything else was just boring.

Even though she hadn't particularly liked it when her friends had set _her _up, Kagome deduced that the two situations were different _completely_, and that _she_, unlike her friends, was actually helping a relationship grow, while trying to escape her own, futile love-life.

She really was hypocritical.

Kagome mused silently as she trekked through the snow, through the village and into the makeshift home they had made for themselves in Edo.

The homey feel hit her immediately as she opened the door (something she had insisted upon once fall had rolled around) and a blast of heat hit her. The fire had died down to nothing but a flickering circle of hot stones and cherry-red coals.

Kagome hummed merrily as she set down her large pack and dug through it. Withdrawing the green plant from the yellow atrocity she called a bag, Kagome skipped to the doorway, humming as she went.

She was on her tippy toes, leaning against the door when it suddenly swung open, throwing Kagome off her balance and into the arms of the unknown assailant.

"What are you doing?" Sesshoumaru breathed into her ear, tightening his arms around her waist.

"_Hanging stuff!" _She replied irritably, trying not to think about the way blood was rushing to her cheeks or how he was holding her. Wasn't she the one who was supposed to get people kissing, and not getting caught hanging plants that would get people kissing?

Speaking of, Kagome glanced up quickly and inhaled sharply. Arm still raised, resting on his broad, broad shoulder, the green sprig still stuck in her hand, Kagome realized that it was the perfect positioning. Squeezing her eyes shut, Kagome groaned.

"_I hate traditions, I hate traditions, I hate traditions!" _She muttered under her breath, practically chanting the phrase.

"You know," Kagome started conversationally after a second of trying to calm her racing heart and red, red cheeks. Sesshoumaru decided that _maybe_ the colour red wasn't _so_ bad. Not when it was on the miko, at least. "In my time, there's this tradition."

Sesshoumaru cocked a brow and she narrowed her eyes at him. The arrogant man. "If you would." He said at last, indulging the childish woman and her wily ways.

Shooting the arrogant man an annoyed look, Kagome shook her head. "This tradition decrees that when two people come together under a sprig of mistletoe, they have to kiss." Kagome bit her lip, staring up into the unreadable eyes of Sesshoumaru. Inuyasha's brother. How ironic that she would be inviting her best friend's (and previous love interest) brother to kiss her.

As if her life wasn't messed up enough already.

_Hypocrite, hypocrite, hypocrite! _A small voice in the back of her mind tolled, and Kagome promptly squashed it. Inuyasha be damned, she was going to kiss Sesshoumaru one way or another.

"Indeed," said youkai intoned, his other eyebrow raising. Kagome cringed. It was coming. She knew it was coming. She could _taste_ it coming. Apparently broccoli was _not_ a suitable replacement for mistletoe. Damn her mother for telling her it would work, and damn Sesshoumaru for having an enhanced sense of smell.

Inuyasha and Rin could wait, Kagome decided in the back of her mind as her hand snaked up his arms and around his neck.

"That would be the case if it was mistletoe you were holding."

Kagome sighed. "Just shut up and kiss me."

There was no hesitation as his lips descended upon hers.

Sesshoumaru had a very... _talented_ tongue.

And how!

_(This is the end of _Dignity Denied_ – the last chapter, if you will. The stage has been set, the curtain went up, and now the characters are taking their final bow. It's been fun, and I can't say I'm unhappy to see it go. Continuous oneshots are hard. Thanks for the support and to anyone who reviewed! – Incomprehensible)_


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